Culture of Pittsburgh

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Main article: Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh at night, 22 July, 2005. Photograph by btezra.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy businessmen such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry J. Heinz, Henry Clay Frick, and nonprofit organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation donated millions of dollars to create educational and cultural institutions.

1 Architecture
2 Conventions
3 Film and theater
4 Foods and drinks
5 Gardens and parks
6 Libraries
7 Music and Dance
8 Museums
9 Recreation
10 See also
11 References
12 External links

[edit] Architecture

Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, May 14, 2005. Photograph by Jennifer Yang.

The Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece Fallingwater is about an hour's drive from downtown. The North Shore has an 1895 neogothic church, Calvary Methodist, with an interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The church's stained glass windows are some of the largest and most elaborate work Tiffany ever created. The Allegheny County Courthouse (1886), designed by H.H. Richardson, is a unique and influential building. At 42 stories, the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning (1937) is the second tallest educational building in the world. The tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh is the triangular U.S. Steel Tower. Both Heinz Field (2001) and PNC Park (2001) are designed to give fans a view of the city skyline.

[edit] Conventions

David L. Lawrence Convention Center, as viewed from I-579 bridge.

The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, located on the south bank of the Allegheny River, is quickly becoming some of the most sought after convention space in the country, as it is able to accommodate all sizes of conventions, exhibitions and conferences. Certified with a Gold rating by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design initiative, the building is considered the first ever "green" convention center and world's largest "green" building.

[edit] Film and theater

Jeff Goldblum, a Pittsburgh native, in costume for the 2006 film, "Pittsburgh," which was shot in Pittsburgh in 2004 and will be screened in the Three Rivers Film Festival Nov 2-16, 2006.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers teaches media arts and runs three "arthouse" movie theaters.

The Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park University has four resident companies of professional actors. Other theater companies include City Theatre, Quantum Theater, Public Theater, Attack Theater, and Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater.

Friday Nite Improvs, an improv show at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, is Pittsburgh's longest-running theatre show. It has produced a number of professional writers and actors.

[edit] Foods and drinks

The Polish American community introduced the pierogi to Pittsburgh

Traditional Pittsburgh foods reflect the city's multicultural heritage, especially that of the European immigrants of the early 20th century. While these immigrant populations introduced foods such as pierogis to the city, they are now enjoyed by Pittsburghers in general. Other Pittsburgh foods were developed in the city. In general, these foods are still popular because for many years, they satisfied the hearty appetite of the archetypal Pittsburgher: the hard-working, blue-collar steelworker.

Cabbage rolls – Beef, pork, rice, green pepper, wrapped in cabbage and baked with sauerkraut and tomato soup or juice
Chipped Ham – thinly-sliced processed ham, from Isaly's since 1933
Clark Bar – chocolate candy bar; developed in the city in 1886
Devonshire Sandwich – open-face chicken or turkey sandwich; invented in Oakland, 1936
Haluski – noodles with fried cabbage (Polish), or cottage cheese (Slovak)
Heinz Ketchup – condiment and foodstuff developed in Pittsburgh and consumed worldwide; considered by Pittsburghers to be correct on hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and scrambled eggs
Iron City Beer – native brew; with a shot of whiskey, a boilermaker; with a shot of Imperial, an imp-n-arn.
Italian sausage – with grilled peppers and onions
Kielbasa – eastern European sausages
Pierogies – Polish dish, pasta dough filled with potato and cheese, onion or sauerkraut
Primanti Brothers – sandwich with fries and coleslaw in it
Roethlisburger – Hamburger named after Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger; made up of ground beef, sausage, scrambled eggs, grilled onions and American cheese

[edit] Gardens and parks

Main entrance to Phipps Conservatory $ Botanical Gardens

Pittsburgh houses the country's National Aviary. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, in Schenley Park, feature seasonal and global plants in a recently-remodeled Victorian-style greenhouse.

[edit] Libraries

The city has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh's University Library System.

Many local history materials are available on-line at Historic Pittsburgh, a collection that includes materials from the University of Pittsburgh's University Library System, the Library & Archives of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Pittsburgh History is an on-line service maintained by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

[edit] Music and Dance

Lobby of Heinz Hall. Photograph by Frabuleuse.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs in Heinz Hall, which also plays host to other events throughout the year. The Benedum Center and Heinz Hall provide venues for numerous musicals, lectures, speeches, and other performances. Pittsburgh is also home to one of the few professional brass bands in the world, the River City Brass Band. Other musical arts groups include the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) and the River City Youth Brass Band. The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh is an acclaimed semi-professional choir, with performances that are usually free to the public.

Recently, Pittsburgh has gained a reputation for its large indie and punk rock scene. Several notable indie rock bands have come from Pittsburgh in recent years, including Rusted Root, Don Caballero, and punk rock band Anti-Flag. The city is also famous in the underground for its strong hardcore scene, producing bands such as End Of Humanity and Built Upon Frustration.

From June through August, Stars at Riverview is a weekly open-air jazz concert at Riverview Park.^[1]

Pittsburgh Dance Council and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater host a variety of dance events. Polka, folk, square and round dancing have a long history in the city and are celebrated by the internationally famous Duquesne University Tamburitzans, a multicultural academy dedicated to the preservation and presentation of folk songs and dance.

[edit] Museums

Tyranosaurus Rex skull, Carniegie Museum of Natural History. Photograph by jparise

Pittsburgh has several visual arts museums, including the Andy Warhol Museum, dedicated to the works of Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol. The Carnegie Museum of Art is home to works by such luminaries as Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Robert Adam and many others, along with galleries of sculpture, modern art, the Heinz Architectural Center, a large film and video collection, and various travelling exhibits. Installation art is featured outdoors at ArtGardens of Pittsburgh.

The town's premier history museum is the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center with an annual attendance of 130,000.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, located in Oakland, has extensive dinosaur collections on display, including the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever discovered, and an Egyptian wing. The building may be distinguished by a life-size statue known as, "Dippy the Diplodocus" to the right of the main entrance. Other dinosaur statues are visible around the Pittsburgh area, these decorated by artists nationwide and sold as a benefit to the Carnegie Museums. The Carnegie Science Center, located in the North Side near PNC Park and Heinz Field, is more technology oriented.

[edit] Recreation

The Thunderbolt rollercoast, Kennywood Park

Close-by the Phipp's Conservatory is the Schenley Park Golf Course, a public golf links. Kennywood Park is widely regarded by rollercoaster enthusiasts to have some of the best rollercoasters in the world, including several early 20th century wooden coasters: the Racer, the Thunderbolt, and the Jack Rabbit. A water park owned by Kennywood, Sandcastle, is another local amusement park.